Sunday, June 19, 2011

Tripping out at the Lake


Hubby and I decided it was time for a getaway from it all trip so the first week in May we scheduled time off from work. After spending our life savings on a timeshare we didn't want to let it to go to waste so we used a banked week from almost two years earlier. It was either use it or lose it.















We wanted a short trip this time and possibly a visit to the ocean. Of course, we're terrible at planning ahead so we only had a few choices left. I found The Landing at Seven Coves on Lake Conroe just outside of Houston, Texas that looked promising.

On the way, at about Huntsville, we pulled into a rest stop and discovered the most beautiful scenery with a lake, some flowers, and even butterflies.


Taking pictures of nature is one of my hubby's hobbies that I also enjoy, so we took advantage of the setting and spent some time behind the lens.




Not knowing what a vacation resort will be like when choosing online, you always hope you get a decent place to stay. I loved the idea of our balcony jutting out over the water and this time we were not disappointed.



It was beautiful, spacious, and quite comfy. We slept peacefully on a pillow top king size bed without even adding the memory foam pad we brought from home. A big improvement from some of our other home away from home choices.


We fished off the balcony and I even snagged a huge fish, okay it wasn't huge, but was a pretty nice size, maybe more like a baby. We tossed him back in the lake to swim another day.



Internet online access was not free at our resort but I managed to get a skimpy signal from the resort next door so we could keep friends and family updated on Facebook. Not to rub it in but to let them enjoy the week with us. Maybe rub it in a little. They were having storms in Dallas while we were birdwatching.









I loved spending time on the balcony feeding the ducks. They were always ready for a bite to eat.


We also noticed the other wild creatures that enjoyed hanging out with us. Two humongous snakes made their home right beneath us while sunning on the rocks. They came back a couple of times during the week for family photos sessions.



On the other side, a very large egret spent some time recuperating from an injury until he was able to fly back home. He kind of looks like a grandpa doesn't he?




We spent a day (or two) shopping at Sam Moon's and at some other neat places along the highway. Yes, I spent a few hundred dollars on souvenirs. Okay, mostly for me but a there were some friends and family that got a trinket or two.


We also had some good exercise fun riding bikes.

They were $3.00 rentals and were quite archaic.



























No gears or hand brakes.



Mike had no trouble cruising around. I had to peddle hard (or walk) to get up some of the hills in the neighborhood and was very lucky I didn't go flying into the lake reaching for the hand brakes.


We spent Thursday relaxing at the beach. We rented an umbrella with 2 chairs and took turns splashing in the ocean for some photo ops.



The giant sea gulls diving into the ocean tried to snatch up a fish or two for their next meal kept us both entranced during most of our Galveston trip.




The Southern Empress docked next to our resort and one evening we captured the most beautiful sunset behind the grand historical paddle wheel boat.





It was right by the pool that we had spent one of our days freezing in while I did my aquatic therapy. Not too bad once you get used to the water. I did get a nice tan.




Mike wasn't too keen on the freezing part so he sat in the chair most of the time and burned to a crisp.



He was quite grumpy after that but we were leaving the next day so it didn't spoil his vacation.
















On the way out we drove around and took some pictures of bird island and the lighthouse across the cove.





That was after our car battery went dead and we had to call Progressive to come give us a cable jump. Thank goodness for those road hazzard folks. Last vacation we called OnStar to tow us to a local dealership. Gotta spread the love around.




We came home happily renewed and ready for, okay, not really ready for work, but ready to muddle through until our next great, relaxing vacation. Our next days off will be in July to clean the garage or put down flooring so I'm not counting that as a vacation. We're hoping to make it back to Missouri in the fall to see the grandsons, and our daughter and son-in-law too. I'm afraid they're growing up too fast and I'm missing it. Gotta make sure they don't forget Grandmommy and Papaw.